The Groom Lives
by Predaliena
Summary: Waylon Park escaped the Mount Massive Asylum alive and reunited with his family. Little did he know that after he escaped the clutches of a killer known as 'The Groom', something followed him out of the asylum. And some time later Waylon's happy life was about to change as things take a dark and sinister turn.
1. Chapter 1

**THE GROOM LIVES**

**Chapter 1**

Waylon Park has already become accustomed to the stench and muck of the Mount Massive Asylum. He knew pretty well that all this mess was the fault of Murkoff Corporation, the same company that he was forced to work for under the strictest rules of confidentiality that he finally dared to break. He couldn't believe even the half of what he saw during the time of his work as a programmer, but one day he decided that enough was enough. Murkoff was obviously earning their money on the basis of human suffering, and that had to be stopped at all costs. This was why Waylon decided to risk his own life and send an e-mail to a journalist names Miles Upshur whose work Waylon admired for a long time. Upshur was his only hope to reveal the truth to the entire world and finally stop Murkoff's terror.

But now it was his own life he had to save and survive in this hellhole. Without knowing about it, Waylon got into another deadly adventure of cat-and-mouse game; this time with a psychopath the locals called 'The Groom'. Waylon had no idea who it was until he encountered the man himself. Now he didn't know which maniac was worse – the cannibalistic Frank Manera, or this sick bastard whose name, as Waylon later found out, was Eddie Gluskin. This guy was literally obsessed with an idea of having a perfect family, but the worst thing was that he caught the men and performed perverted operations on them, trying to make women of them. And now Waylon was his target.

It was far from easy to lose that crazy sicko. Sure there were problems evading Frank Manera, but Gluskin was far worse. And so it happened for Waylon to fall from the ladder in an elevator shaft and get a deep wound on his right leg. Now he couldn't even run normally like he did before, and that made things much more difficult. And Gluskin was persistent. He pursued Waylon with words that in a different situation would sound as a compliment for a woman, but now nothing good could be expected from these phrases. The frightened man tried to hide in a locker but ended up being caught by the psycho he tried to evade so hard. Those icy blue eyes pierced through Waylon's soul, eyes of a predator that finally caught his prey and is preparing himself for a satisfying meal.

But this time Waylon was going to be the meal.

The Groom wasn't in a hurry though. He drugged his potential 'bride' in a locker, and Waylon lost consciousness right away. He had no idea how much time passed, but when he awoke, he became a witness to a macabre 'performance' of what the Groom was capable of.

"Darling, I need you to try to bleed less," the murderer spoke to the victim, lifting a blade in his hand high above the man. The unfortunate one was lying on a table covered in blood. Judging by the surroundings, they had to be in some kind of a workshop. The table with a circular saw was a typical attribute for any workshop. The Groom used it for his own purpose which was a cutting table. "I know the fair sex often endure the same wounds with more suffering, but you really need to make an effort!"

With that Gluskin plunged the blade right into the poor man's crotch, obviously reveling in his painful screams and agony. When the victim finally stopped moving, Gluskin finally let it go and threw his body on the floor.

"No, I'm so sorry, darling. Love isn't for everybody."

Waylon fought the vomiting instinct. Love? What the hell did that son of a bitch even know about love? If this is what he calls love, than such creatures like him must be eliminated at all costs. Waylon wished he could crush that sick man's neck with his bare hands, but that was impossible. Besides, he started feeling dizzy again and soon fainted.

How long was he going to wake and faint again? Waylon wished he never woke up if he had to choose his fate right now. Every time he woke, he had to witness the Groom's bloody games with his 'brides' that he surgically created for himself. And just as another's victim's head was thrown on a circular saw, it was impossible to stay awake anymore. Waylon fainted once more.

This time he woke not in a locker anymore but on the same cutting table. Somehow his skin felt cold, and as Waylon glanced on himself, to his horror he saw that he was completely naked and had his limbs tied to the table. What was that bastard going to do to him? Waylon panicked but could do nothing in this situation. It seemed there was no escape for him. He was forced to listen to Gluskin's perverted monologue about how beautiful and soft his skin was and how with a few snips of the flesh he would cut away everything he deemed vulgar. Waylon knew that with vulgarity he meant his male parts, and cold sweat covered his entire body when he realized what exactly awaited him.

"A woman has to suffer some things," Gluskin continued babbling. "It's not pleasant, I know. But just try to… endure. For my sake, for the sake of our children."

Waylon swallowed in panic. He was afraid to imagine this man as a father or a husband. Judging by all his 'eloquent' expressions, he sure was a misogynist. He tried to create women out of men and hurt them, so much Waylon understood.

And now it was his turn.

Waylon's eyes went wide from terror when he heard the sound of the circular saw. He knew what exactly Gluskin was planning to do.

"The incision will hurt. And the conception. And birthing is never easy," the psychopath spoke with an evil grin on his face. "I'll make the cut fast. Just close your eyes and think of our children."

Waylon closed his eyes indeed, but children were the last thing he could think of. He could only think of his own kids and his wife Lisa. He already mentally was saying goodbye to them and prepared for the hellish pain that was about to pierce his entire body when the blades of the saw touched his flesh.

But nothing happened.

Instead of death, Waylon heard the sounds of someone being beaten and rude swearing of the Groom. He saw another man approaching the murderer and grabbing him from behind. It gave Waylon time to free himself from his restraints and dress up while the stranger punched Gluskin's face and ran away. Waylon mentally thanked the man for saving his life and hoped that this time he would have his luck to escape from this psycho and get out of the asylum with his life. His leg still hurt like hell, but it was nothing comparing to what the Groom could have done to him if the stranger hadn't stopped him.

Of course things didn't go as easy. Gluskin wasn't going to give up on his 'darling bride'. Waylon barely escaped through the second floor's window and fell into the inner yard, hearing the vile and vulgar language of his pursuer. Unfortunately, there was no other way out than through the male ward, but as Waylon got to the door, it appeared to be locked. So he had to find a key. Waylon searched through all available places, but his horrors weren't over yet. Through the vent in the kitchen he got into a place that some time ago had been a gym, but now it looked like something right out of a horror movie; much worse than anything he had seen so far in the entire asylum.

"Oh my God…" Waylon mumbled, unable to form coherent sentences. Just like most of the asylum's locations, this place was littered with human organs, but the sight of the ceiling terrified him the most. There were dozens of naked bodies hanging upside down with their hands tied behind their back and bags on their heads. Waylon knew it was all Gluskin's work; the male corpses that he tried to transform into women and killed, later hanging them all here. It was like a sick version of a museum of his 'creative work'. This time it was impossible to bear, and Waylon allowed himself to puke on the blood-covered floor. But this wasn't going to help. He still had to find a key to the male war. Waylon discovered it on a hand of a mannequin that resembled a bride but couldn't avoid the Groom. The psychopath finally caught up with Waylon in the moment he tried to unlock the door to the male ward.

"One more. I try and I try. And you all betray me!" the Groom hissed, punching Waylon's face again and again. Despite being just a regular human, this guy was surprisingly strong. He threw Waylon through the doors that led into the gym, his museum of dead hanging brides. Waylon tried his best to get up and run, but the Groom was faster; and the unfortunate man soon felt a noose being put around his neck. Gluskin then pulled hard, lifting Waylon's undulating body to the ceiling.

"And you can hang like the rest of them!" the killer almost growled in anger. "Well, you're heavier than you look," he smirked. "If this is you on the honeymoon, I'd hate to imagine our anniversary."

Waylon didn't listen anymore. The lack of oxygen in his lungs didn't allow him to think properly. There was only one thought in his mind – free himself at all costs. He writhed and undulated, thus making it hard for the Groom to hold him steady.

"Hold still! God damn it, what are you…" Gluskin tried as much as he could to hold the man up, but it became harder with every second. If it continued this way, he could lose it. "Damn it, darling! No, you need to behave!"

That's it. Just a bit more… Waylon did his best to overpower the Groom and get down to the ground. And then he felt a tiny bit more air. That's when he knew that he was going to succeed.

"Agh! No, no, no!"

After these exclaims Waylon finally felt himself falling freely on the floor. He caught a quick glimpse of his enemy being pulled up, but didn't fully realize at first what was going on. His first instinct was to jump up and run as fast as possible which he tried to do until suddenly someone grabbed his hand. Waylon turned around to see Gluskin hanging in the air, entangled in his own ropes. The killer was breathing heavily, and Waylon realized that the man was in pain and those were the last breaths he made in his life.

"We could… have been beautiful…"

Those were the last words Eddie Gluskin ever spoke. Freeing Waylon's hand, he was pulled up to the ceiling, and that's when Waylon saw that the man's body was pierced with a metal rod.

And that was the end. The Groom was dead.

Waylon fell on the floor and let out a deep sigh of relief. He just got away from one of the most dangerous inhabitants of Mount Massive Asylum and was still alive. Now all that remained was to get to the front door of the asylum. He only hoped that this time no one would stand in his way.

The man walked slowly and carefully as his leg hurt, but most importantly, he didn't want to attract unwanted attention. He already spotted the SWAT soldiers roaming around the asylum and from their conversations he learned that they were authorized to shoot anything that moves, and that included him. Besides, he was still wearing the clothes of a patient. But lucky for Waylon, he managed to stay unnoticed by the soldiers. Also, there was definitely something going on, as he heard the terrified screams through the walkie-talkies of nearby soldiers. Waylon presumed that they must have stumbled on the Walrider, the entity that consisted of millions of tiny nanoparticles. He knew what the Walrider was capable of as he witnessed the results of his 'fun' after he was freed from his restraints in a cell of experiments with the morphogenetic engine. For now the only threat that he could encounter was the Walrider, and Waylon hoped that it would not happen.

So far he got to the main entrance without any problems. To his joy, the door was widely open, so Waylon hurried to the exit. But it was naïve of him to think that he could get out that easy.

"Mr. Park? How the hell are you still alive?"

Waylon knew that voice damn well.

Jeremy Blaire. The one that found out about Waylon's e-mail and ordered the traitor to be locked up for experiments. He was the number one person that Waylon hated the most. But now it looked like that son of a bitch was injured, and that was the least he deserved.

"Let's make a deal, alright? You help me and I'll help you," Blaire could barely talk with all the pain he felt. Waylon hesitated. He really didn't want to help that man, but still he wasn't such a monster like Blaire was. He didn't trust the rascal, but there was no other choice. He had to pass him anyway. Waylon made attempt to approach the man, but his guts told him that it was a bad idea; and he instantly learned that his feeling was right. Jeremy Blaire jumped up and in the next second Waylon felt stabbing pain in his left side.

"Fucking die already!" Blaire roared, trying to get up with difficulty. Waylon fell back, holding the bleeding wound with his hand and watching the rascal limping towards him with a knife. "No one can know! No one!"

Blaire lifted the blade above Waylon, ready to stab him to death, but something stopped him from completing his vile act. Blaire turned around, and in the next moment some invisible force grabbed him and pulled him up to the ceiling in a mere second.

"Grah! What the... Ugh! Oh, God! Oh, Christ in Heaven! How did it get out?!"

Waylon lay on the floor and watched Jeremy Blaire hanging up in the air as he struggled with something. That's when he spotted the dark cloud-like thing that held Blaire steady. Waylon had no doubts that nothing else but Walrider was capable of such things.

"No! No, please! No! No! Ahhhhh!" Blaire yelled in agony and then suddenly all went silent. The next moment Waylon felt something splash on him; and when he opened his eyes, he saw himself covered in blood from head to toe and pieces of Blaire's body scattered around. Seeing this, Waylon finally gave his emotions freedom and burst into laughing. That's what he longed to see this entire time. The Walrider ripped that bastard into pieces right before his eyes, and Waylon could never imagine that he would thank the entity for that. Despite the wound, he got up and walked towards the exit. There was no time to lose.

As he stepped outside, Waylon could finally take a deep breath with his entire chest. He couldn't believe he saw the sun and the sky again. Limping, he moved forward to the security post by the gate, and to his surprise, he saw a red Jeep parked there. Waylon couldn't believe his luck. He got out of Mount Massive Asylum with his life and had a vehicle available. He quickly got into the car and started the engine, but then his eyes fell on a human figure limping out of the asylum. Waylon couldn't see who exactly it was, but soon enough the dark cloud began getting closer to the car. Waylon then pressed the gas pedal without hesitation, turned around and just rammed through the gates at full speed. The Walrider obviously got out, but Waylon didn't care anymore. He raced away from the asylum as fast as he could. And when he finally got far away from that damned place, he sighed in relief. Now he could finally be free and reunite with his family.

0o0o0o0o0

Meanwhile, after Waylon Park got rid of the Groom, something else happened. Waylon was oblivious to the fact that something had followed him for the rest of his journey through Mount Massive Asylum. He escaped with his life, but he wasn't alone. Waylon was sure that Eddie Gluskin was dead and that he would never see him again. But he never thought that despite Gluskin's body being dead, his soul was still there. Eddie was now a non-corporeal entity that was floating freely wherever he wanted and causing no harm to any human being. He followed Waylon Park out of the asylum with the intention to find a way to come back and live once again.

He had unfinished business on earth.


	2. Chapter 2

**THE GROOM LIVES**

**Chapter 2**

"You press that button, there's no going back, Mr. Park," the male voice spoke as Waylon sat at the desk, staring into the laptop's monitor. He couldn't see the man's face as the only light source in the dark room was the light coming from the doorway behind the man's back. The guy that spoke looked like a black shadow, surrounded by the bright square of light that was the doorway; and his rather peaceful but gloomy voice spoke of the seriousness of the matter. But Waylon knew the man and that he could be trusted.

Simon Peacock remembered his work at Murkoff too well with nothing but bitterness in his heart. Now working as an independent journalist, he was associated with VIRALeaks, a media leaking website, so Waylon knew exactly whom he had to contact to make sure that Murkoff Corporation served its punishment.

"There's enough hard evidence in that video file to make a world of shit for our friends at Murkoff," Simon continued his monologue. "You got out of Mount Massive alive, and we've done everything in our power to cover your tracks; but our enemies are twitchy and malicious corporate paranoiacs with resources you're too moral to imagine. You won't be the only target. Anyone you care about - your wife, your children… they'll be nothing to Murkoff but ways to hurt you. I need you to understand the bridge you're crossing here. You will do irrevocable damage to the company; you might even get close to something like justice. But… once you click 'Upload', your life is over. Everyone you love is fucked. But it's the right thing to do. Is hurting Murkoff worth that much to you?"

Waylon was nervous. Once Simon finished his speech, the young man rubbed his hands, never taking his eyes away from the laptop. This was one truly difficult choice he had to make now. Each medal always had its other side. Waylon's heart was burning from the desire to take revenge on Murkoff Corporation, but putting his family in danger was the last thing he wanted. But on the other hand, what else could he do? If he didn't do anything, Murkoff would still do anything to track him down and hurt his family to punish him. He survived the horrors in Mount Massive Asylum and got out alive with the camcorder full of proof to bury the entire corporation, and those bastards sure wouldn't want the leakage to take place.

So be it then, Waylon decided. Even if he and his family had to spend the rest of their life hiding, Murkoff had to be punished for all the vile things they've done. At least they would lose much of their power and, as Simon said, suffer irrevocable damage. It was worth the risk.

Waylon still hesitated though. He weighed all pros and cons while the menacing shadow of Simon Peacock stood silent and waited for the man's decision. Waylon never had had such a hard choice to make. But it had to be done, right here and now.

Waylon held his breath. This was the crucial moment in his life. His hand was shaking above the keyboard.

Now or never.

And then, making a deep and heavy sigh, he clicked the 'Upload' button and shut the laptop.

0o0o0o0o0o0

As Waylon slowly opened his eyes, the first thing that he felt was a pungent metallic smell hitting his nostrils. It felt weird as there was nothing smelling like this in his home. His vision was still blurry, but as soon as the metallic smell was replaced by a disgusting stench of rotting flesh, the man jumped up instantly. To his horror, Waylon found himself being back to a very familiar place that he wished he had forgotten and never remembered again.

He was back in Mount Massive Asylum.

Waylon blinked fast and rubbed his eyes, hoping that he was still asleep; but the stench of blood and decaying corpses made him realize that it was no dream but grim reality. But the worst thing was that the place he found himself in was the last place he would want to be in this hellhole. Looking around, he saw that the large room had been a sports hall years ago that has now been turned into a slaughterhouse.

To be precise, it was a junkyard for the unneeded 'brides'.

The brides…

Waylon knew exactly whose lair he was in. But what surprised him was that there was dead silence in the asylum. As far as he remembered, he could always hear someone screaming, moaning, running, swearing in the most rude words he had ever heard, or calling for help. Whatever the case was, there had always been sounds in the asylum while he traveled through it to his freedom. But now it looked like the entire asylum was dead and abandoned; and no signs of life were seen anywhere around.

It seemed to Waylon that he was alone in the asylum, so technically it wouldn't be that hard to get out of this stinky hole once more. He got up and began moving the same way he did before only to freeze in his spot when he heard something that made him realize he wasn't alone here.

What's worse, his 'companion' was someone that he wished he had never met again.

"Darling!" a hysterical male voice exclaimed. "Where are you? Come out, come out, wherever you are! I want you to have my baby!"

No way, anything but that, Waylon thought. This time he would never fall into that murderous psychopath's hands, knowing what he would do if that happens. So Waylon did his best to dodge the killer as he already had the experience in this place. But for one he was right – the asylum really was empty; it was just him and Gluskin alone in this place. It made things easier, but the Groom was smart. As Waylon thought that the coast was clear and he was one step away from his freedom, the unpleasant surprise was right there, waiting for him. The frightened man felt a large hand grabbing him by the throat and throwing violently on the floor. Waylon struggled to free himself from the killer's grip, but it felt like steel. Waylon looked into the ghostly pale face of his enemy. Gluskin's glance was as ice cold as before, but now all it expressed was hatred and pure lust for blood. Waylon could only watch in horror as the psychopath lifted a large blade, aiming for his victim's heart.

"I have you now, darling," Eddie Gluskin cooed, his mouth stretching in a vile grin. At first his voice sounded soft, but Waylon knew it was all fake. His assumptions were right as in that very second the Groom's voice changed.

"This time there's no escape," he hissed through gritted teeth. "You killed me, you ungrateful whore!"

With these words Gluskin's hand with the blade automatically went down like a guillotine. The deadly blade ran through Waylon's chest, right where his heart was, and just as the pain pierced his entire body…

"NO!"

Waylon jumped in his bed, sweat running down his face profusely. Right then the surroundings became bright and he found himself in his bedroom, staring into his wife's frightened eyes.

"Oh my God, Waylon, are you alright?" Lisa asked in a concerned voice. The touch of her soft palm on his face made Waylon calm down a bit.

"I… yeah, I'm fine," Waylon muttered, searching for a napkin in the drawer to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

"Having nightmares again?" Lisa said gently, giving her tormented husband a hug which Waylon gladly returned.

"Yes, unfortunately," he sighed sadly, holding his wife in his arms. "I don't know how long this is going to continue. I haven't had even one night of peace since I escaped from that damned asylum. I wish it could stop, but I just keep seeing the nightmares about all what I've experienced there."

Lisa sighed and nodded.

"It's no surprise," she said understandingly. "Any normal person would feel the same if he or she had to go through all the things you went through. But still, try to relax, okay? That company got what it deserved. I know we're not totally safe, that guy… what was his name again?"

"Simon Peacock," Waylon replied.

"Yes, Simon Peacock. I know he warned you about the consequences, but you did the right thing, my love," Lisa spoke with a warm smile. "It's better this way. They would have tracked and eliminated us very fast if you did nothing against them. So try to calm down. Would you like to have a cup of peppermint tea? I will help you relax."

Waylon nodded, and Lisa quickly walked to the kitchen to warm the water. He got out of his bed then and walked to the door of his children's room to listen whether they were still asleep. Waylon was worried that he might have woken them up with his screams but everything was silent. Both his sons didn't seem to have heard anything.

"What are you doing, Waylon?"

Waylon turned to see Lisa walking to him with a cup of tea in her hands.

"Nothing, my dear," he said, relaxing a bit. "I was just afraid that David or Hanlon heard me screaming. But it looks like they sleep like dormice."

"They sure do," Lisa smiled playfully. "Here, have a drink. Peppermint tea has always helped me to calm down, so it will do the trick with you too, you'll see."

As Waylon slowly sipped the tea, he felt pleasant warmth spreading through his entire body. Lisa sure was right, this tea really helped against the anxiety. He felt himself relaxing gradually until sleep slowly began taking over him.

Despite feeling happy to be home and reunited with his family, there wasn't a single day when Waylon Park didn't see the Mount Massive Asylum in his nightmarish dreams. The voices of pain and suffering, the bloodthirsty glance of murderous maniacs like Frank Manera or that son of a bitch named Jeremy Blaire whose brutal death Waylon witnessed with unadulterated joy. He knew he would never fully recover from all the horrors he had seen in the asylum, and this traumatic experience has left a permanent imprint on his soul. And yet Waylon did his best to try and bury the terrible memories deeper into his mind and not to remember them ever again.

One evening, when Waylon felt well enough, he finally gave in to his feelings and made love to Lisa. Oh, how much he missed the warmth between them and the softness of her skin! Waylon could never have enough of looking at her beautiful form. Her body shape reminded him of a sand clock, and hearing her blissful moans while her body undulated underneath his was something worth to live and even to die for. And as both of them lay on their bed panting heavily, Waylon finally felt completely relaxed and fell into oblivion.

It was the first time he was truly happy since his escape from Mount Massive Asylum.

0o0o0o0o0

While Waylon and Lisa Park succumbed to their love, they never knew that they weren't actually alone. Neither of them had an idea that the vengeful spirit of the Groom was always there, inside their family house. Eddie had followed Waylon from the moment the latter escaped the asylum and now searched for the way to return to the human world. And now, watching him and his wife make love, Eddie felt frustrated like he had never felt when being alive. The man that killed him had everything Gluskin never had: a loving wife, a family, and, of course, children. Life was so unfair; and if Gluskin could, he would have yelled out in frustration. But he still didn't lose hope. If he finds any possibility to return, he won't hesitate to use it.

And the next day after the intercourse, Eddie felt something change. It was coming from the woman. And that's when the spirit realized that his time has come.

The woman will not feel anything. As Eddie was a spirit, he was invisible to human eyes and had no physical body, so he had every possibility to go anywhere he wanted; even solid walls were no obstacle. And going inside a human body was no problem as well, but being inside an adult was not an option. These bodies were already occupied by souls, so staying inside was only temporary. But Lisa Park would be an exception.

Eddie knew it was his chance, and he began the implementation of his plan.

As a couple of days passed, Lisa woke up feeling slightly nauseous. Knowing that she and Waylon had unprotected sex, the woman had an idea what could be the reason of her nausea. She had to make sure though so buying a home pregnancy test was a must-do. Lisa never imagined what went on these days, never suspected of the presence of a spirit that waited for the convenient moment. Eddie had his invisible eyes on her, but it's not Lisa herself that he wanted. And Lisa was oblivious to Gluskin's triumph while she stood in the bathroom with a pregnancy test in her hands. Her mouth then stretched in a joyful smile.

A new life was born inside her.


End file.
